News

  • Join VAAC Community Meetings

    VAAC Community – We’re Back! Join Our First Meeting of 2025!

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    VAAC is back with our first Community Meeting of 2025! We’re excited to kick off the year with a crucial discussion on Michigan’s legislative landscape and its impact on our work, led by policy consultant Tony Gant, who will share key insights and updates. Join us TODAY, Friday, January 31, at 12:30 PM, as we reconnect,…

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  • VAAC Invites You to MI-CEMI’s Virtual Event: Prison Programming

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    The Voting Access for All Coalition is excited to share an upcoming opportunity hosted by our friends at the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI). Event: Prison Programming – In-Reach and Relationship Building📅 Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025🕛 Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM📍 Zoom: 👉 Register Now The MI-CEMI Programming Table brings together…

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  • Michigan Against Solitary Confinement Summit, January 11, 2025

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    FoRJ members Carolyn Madden, Kathie Gourlay, and Meta Mendel-Reyes demonstrated restorative justice with audience role-play during the Michigan Against Solitary Confinement Summit; reported by The Michigan Daily, January 12, 2025. Several other VAAC members were also in attendance.  Thank you to all who made this event possible! The post Michigan Institute for Progressive Policy hosts…

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  • Mark Your Calendar: VAAC Meetings Resume January 31st!

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    Dear VAAC Community, We hope your year is off to a great start! As we reach the midpoint of January 2025, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued dedication and support. Together, we’ve made significant progress in advancing voting access, and we’re excited to build on this momentum with you…

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  • Hope and Community Action

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    Voters Not Politicians expressed their disappointment with Michigan’s legislature’s inaction toward popular bills that we have been asking for. But they also are optimistic and excited about the future because of the energy and support from individual volunteers as well as collective action. Individually we are strong, and together we can create real change. The…

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  • A black and white poster graphic of a hoodied figure on a black background. A white strip contains black text: Hidden Nation.

    Hidden Nation Event

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    Adam Kouraimi is hosting his public reveal of THE HIDDEN NATION! This is more than just an event—it’s the beginning of something real. Monday, January 13th @ 6 PM – 7:30 PM in WCC Towsley Auditorium, we’re sharing stories that deserve to be heard and shining a light on the journeys of resilience and redemption. Formerly incarcerated artist/filmmaker Adam…

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  • Michigan Against Solitary Confinement Statewide Summit

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    Join us for a day dedicated to ending solitary confinement, an inhumane and ineffective practice. A catered lunch will be provided from 12–2pm (first come first served). This event is free and open to the public. Held at the Michigan League on campus at the University of Michigan. Featuring Keynote Speaker Prof. Margo Schlanger, Michigan…

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  • Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration. An outline map of Michigan in light blue sits between the initials MI and CEMI.

    MI-CEMI 2023-2024 Legislative Lookback

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    The 2023-2024 legislative season has closed.  While the final days of this cycle were marked by chaos and conflict, advocates like you did help get several important pieces of legislation across the finish line, including: Establishing a bipartisan sentencing commission (HB4173, HB 4384): Michigan’s sentencing guidelines have no basis in evidence when it comes to…

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  • Happy Holidays

    Happy New Year from Voting Access For All Coalition!

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    As we close out another year, we’d like to express gratitude to our VAAC family.  We know that Civic Engagement is more than just voting … coalition building is power!  It’s been a transformative year and we could not have done this work without you. We’re constantly impressed and inspired by this community.  VAAC is…

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  • Lawmakers Absent in Michigan

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    The Michigan House of Representatives effectively ended their legislative term this year by not showing up. Rather than representing their constituents and voting on key issues that have been witing for a hearing, 55 representatives were absent from their duties for several days this week. House speaker Joe Tate said of those who failed to…

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  • Prison Policy Initiative

    Police Contacts Down, Violence and Racial Disparities Remain

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    Reporting by the Prison Policy Initiative and the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that fewer people face interactions with the police than in past years. Additionally, only about half of calls to the police are related to possible crimes—and only about 4% are related to violent crimes—suggesting that these calls would be better handled by…

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  • Criminal Justice Wrapped 2024

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    The Prison Policy Initiatve has created a graphic that summarizes “criminal justice” in the United States during 2024 in a “wrapped” style format. Unsurprisingly, our system of mass incarceration continues to waste money, destroy lives, and break apart families and communities—all while managing to make people less safe. Get more information from Prison Policy Initiative:

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